AND A LOOK AT THE PAST!
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Sports, Dual Sport Motorcycle Riding, Politics, Nostalgia, Music, Photography, and a Healthy Dose of BS....

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Nostalgia 101/William Waldron and Family

Sam and I worked basketball for the first time together this season, last night at Spencerville...a Junior High Boys double header between the host Bearcats and visiting Paulding...with the Panthers coming out on top in both the 7th and 8th grade games. I looked up in the stands as we were walking off at half-time of the first contest and saw my cousin Jim Poling, sitting in the Paulding side. Talked with him for a few minutes...he told me he had just returned from his place in north Florida, and was planning on returning shortly after the Holidays....still riding his Harley, still the old hippy is Jim, a quiet guy who I grew up with and ran around with in 1950s Florida...we see each other these days at Weddings, Funerals, and and occasional basketball game, where he has a rooting interest with Paulding.

No games tonight, but Sam needs to get one more Rules Meeting in, so Ill head with him to Bellfountaine, for one more go around...so he can stay eligible for next season. Tomorrow I'm at Van Wert for a Girls WBL JV game, while Sam heads for St. Marys for a Girls Junior High double header.

Nostalgia_____

After my Aunt Eva passed away in 1998, as the executor of her affairs, I had access to the house in Scott, Ohio{see yesterday's post}...as I have mentioned before, Eva, her old sister Cecil, and Grandma Wilda Houseworth, became pack rats over the last half of the 20th century....they bought at least 2 of every item, and saved everything and anything....When Eva died at the age of 87 after a couple of years in a Van Wert nursing home, I, along with my cousin Linda, who lives in Missouri, were left with the task of sorting, tossing, saving, through the stuff....a large dumpster was needed to dispose of much of the stuff....the antiques and collectibles were sorted out and divided. I eventually sold the old homestead to the aforementioned Jim Poling, he fixed it up and sold it

With a garage and basement full of memories and 'stuff' I went about the task of selling,{on ebay} storing, and looking through the massive amounts of photographs, small items{collectibles, etc} I had inherited....

1950s mechanical toys, trinkets, old glasses, bottle openers, thousands of postcards, sea shells, marbles, and other items, some were put up for sale, others with obvious family interest would remain with me or Linda....Some of the items I sold I regret, but some things just had to go....some were worth much more than I had ever imagined.

William Waldron______

My Great-Great Grandfather, William H. Waldron, was born in January 11, 1861, just before the start of the Civil War, he passed away on June 16, 1950 in Scott...I was 15 months old, so I never really knew the old guy, except from stories passed along. I do know we lived with him for a spell, and after his death, we eventually lived in his house, until moving to Florida in 1954.

The women saved many items of William Waldron, including a collection of Hunting License from the early 20th century....this items were from the 1911 through 1930 era, and the older ones were made of a composit leather type material....it turns out they were very valuable.

I, not knowing just how valuable they were, decided to keep the one in the best shape{from 1915) and sell the rest, including the original "leather" license from 1913....by the time I sold the licenses on ebay, they had brought in over $1500, including $500 for the original 1913 license. It almost knocked me over...I had no idea they were worth that much. I'm thankful I kept the one from 1915.

That is what got me started in 1999 into family history and nostalgic photos....

Everything from Salt and Pepper shakers, to guns, bottle openers, post cards, road maps from the early days of highways, etc....Dad collected large and small antique items...I prefer the smaller stuff, my basement and garage has enough of the family items both large and small to keep me busy for the rest of my days.....

Yesterday's look back at my childhood in Scott, Ohio, got me searching again, and some of the photos on today's post are a result.

Back Later

Photos and descriptions: Top left sitting on my 1900 era desk, which I got from the Houseworth/Waldron homestead are a retro 1940 radio{used for broadcasting XM and nostalgic radio programs and music, along with a 1940s globe from Patrica's dad. And some not so antique items.....A group of Antique Bottle Openers which include from left then top to bottom and right....some almost 100 years old...left opener from the Christ. Diehl Brewing Company of Defiance, Ohio{ Christopher Diehl makers of the long forgotten Centennial Beer}, next an unknow bottle opener with Pipe Tabbaco /Nut Picker, the patton date is 1912. Top to bottom in the next row are a "Drink Wooden Shoe Beer" operner, Old Dutch Beer opener from the Krantz Brewing Company of Findlay, Ohio, followed by a ? from a Cigar Company...the only part I can make out are _____ sh Cigar Co. It's not an opener...but since Granddad Waldron smoked a pipe, I figure it was a Pipe Tapper, used to "tap down" pipe tobacco and tap the end of cigars after they had been clipped...but that is just a guess, maybe I will do some research into that one. The one on the bottom use to have a label of some sort, not that old, Patricia have had this one since our early days of marriage, so it's probably from the early or mid 1970s. Finally the one on the right is from The Bavarian Brewing Company, Covington(south of the river across from Cincinnati), Kentucky, "Bavarians Old Style Beer".

Great Granddad Waldron's 1915 Ohio Hunting License in frame with a photo of him and dad{Stan Houseworth} taken in 1924....Then William Waldron(1861-1950) near the end of his life, and finally an "Airline" Radio from the 1940s...this radio still works{but makes one Hell of a Buzzing sound} and it sat upstairs of Grandma Houseworth's place for as long as I can remember....I doubt if it ever left that west bedroom until I brought it home in 1998.